Decepticons, Uranium, and Bears Oh my!
Transvaal Uranium Mines All around you spreads the expanse of one of the three biggest mining complexes in man's domain. Controlled explosions, deep penetration shafts, and stripped fields mark the wide territory baking under the African Sun. Dusty miner's towns and shanty office buildings are scattered throughout the area. Massive bulldozers and construction vehicles lumber back and forth, dumping and lifting, buzzing around like drones. During the night, floodlamps cast a shadowless white over the entire area, bathing all in a bleached light. The work here continues 19 hours a day. Contents: Giant Armored Bear Bandit Windshear Outbound Decepticon Shuttle Obvious exits: Northwest leads to Congo Basin. South leads to Indian Ocean - African Coast. Fly Windshear is fresh out of the repair bay looking at perfect as he did before he got made the weekend buffet for some insecticons. And as is his new normal look now, the new platign has taken on that roughish, veinly look. But of course he wont talk about it. And of course right as he was walking out of the repair bay, Outbound grabbed him for some mission so now he sits, in the co pilots chair, enercig in hand and a glass of energon. On the front of the glass is a picture of an earth cartoon character; Toucan Sam. Bandit flies outside of the Shuttle in his robot mode. Purple optics glimmer as his sensors sweep the area. The Transavaal Uranium Mines is the setting for this mission. The surge of excitement isn't lost as this is the first operational mission /of record/ for quite some time. Being cooped up in the shuttle was not somthing that he fancied. As the target area approaches he transmits to the others. "Objective located comrades. Prepare for extraction of resources." Because information spreads fast in today's world, already a super badass team of Autobots are on their way to the potential scene of the crime. Said badass team of Autobots consist of one Whirl, flying through the air in his helcopter mode; and one Chainclaw, also flying through the air courtesy of Whirl's heavy duty carrying rope wrapped around his body. Is there anything scarier than a flying bear? Whirl doesn't think so. "How you doing down there buddy?" the Wrecker inquires as they make their way to the Uranium mines. "See anything yet?" Whirl transforms into a helicopter. So cool! The sound of bulldozers bulldozing, and large powerloaders marching back and forth loading and unloading massive crates filled with the precious spoils of the Transvaal Uranium Mines fills the air. Humans shout orders to one another, coordinate drops, and mull over plans for the creation of new mining tunnels all under the hot African sun. For these men and women 'Built Ford Tough' wasn't just a saying, it was a way of life. Unfortunately for them there was a storm brewing, a storm that did not come with the onset of dark clouds or thunder, but the rather the overcast of a metallic marvel and the whine of antigrav engines... The moment that the Decepticon shuttle known as Triumph arrives onto the scene the men and women below begin to take flight. "Screw the machinery, lets get the hell outta here!" one woman screams, waving and shoving her fellow Transvaal employees out of the command tent. Cries fill the air, people tremble and tumble over one another, chaos is the name of the game... Outbound from the pilot's seat of Triumph smirks as he sets Triumph to hover just above the mine, and rises from his seat to make way for the hatch. "Twenty-three," he speaks to the hovering droid flying co-pilot. "Retreat to minimum safe distance and await my signal after I've dropped." The drone chirps in a low toned binary. Windshear watches the fleshcreatures fall over each other and cant help but grin a bit. So fragile, so funny looking. He tosses his empty glass into subspace and gets up to follow Outbound out fo the shuttle. "This wont take long..." he says in his manson baratone as he leaps out of the shuttle and transforms "I see our deaths, Wrecker! There are no words to express the anger I have towards you!" One minute you're deactivated for a standard system sweep because you're convinced you're contaminated with Targursian 6 ore ants, and the next moment you wake up to discover that while you slumbered, Whirl tied a rop around you and you're in the air now. "I see pain and death, though whether it belongs to us or the Decepticons, I am not yet sure! There are three of them and an attack shuttle, leaving us woefully outnumbered! You've led us into a horrible situation! A horrible one!" Windshear transforms into a dead black McDonnell Douglas F15A. Combat: Bandit sets his defense level to Protected. Bandit lands gently on the ground and watches as the fleshlings scramble. How it is that these humanoid creatures have found themselves in positions of importance is beyond this seeker. Much has changed. But some things also remain the same. He turns to Windshear, "I have you back comrade. We do this by the numbers. Do not worry, our triumph will be sweet and our success will make Lord Galvatron proud." he encourages. Combat: Bandit inspires F-15 Streak Eagle with frightening and threatening words! Chainclaw's anger and general unhappiness at the situation at hand serves only to make Whirl more excited. "Yes, I know! Isn't it exciting!? To have all odds against you, to look your impending death right in the face and laugh... there's nothing more satisfying than that!" Really, Chainclaw has only himself to blame. It's an unspoken but fully understood rule not to go offline anywhere where Whirl can get to you. Why do you think all the other Wreckers keep their doors triple locked? As the two of them get closer to the mines and as a result the Decepticon ship, Whirl releases his hold on Chainclaw, disconnecting the rope from his chassis and letting the big ol' bear drop like a ton of bricks onto the battlefield. "Okay, here's the plan. You bite and scratch and maul any bad guys on the ground and I'll cover you with air support. Got it? Cool. WRECK AND RULE, BABY!" Outbound lifts his left arm and a datacomputer unfolds from subspace, his indigo optics passive as ever while his right-hand digits went to work upon the device. A beep sounds from his arm, and back within the shuttle's cockpit Done-23 echoes the sound. Lookin to Windshear, the infantrymech nods to the Seeker as he leads the way out of the shuttle. A moment of two is spent surveying the area before Outbound follows suit and leaps from Triumph, which swiftly begins to rise up up and away! Outbound hits the ground softly, his antigravs having done wonders to soften the impact and immediately he's marching through the area blasting the human's precious bulldozers, cranes, powerloaders, and just about everything else in sight except for the humans themselves. Lets face it- it really looks like he just came for target practice. F-15 Streak Eagle hears Bandits words and feels.. more inspired not that he needed any more inspiration to hurt Autobots anyway -- wait thats Whirl. The Dark Seeker hasnt seen that Wrecker in a while. But whats he carrying below? Is that a bird? A plane? Its a.. bear? What the smeg? Well it was a bear now its a bear falling down to the ground at terminal velocity. The Zombie Seeker wonders idly if hes going to hit any humans when he hits? But enough of that, the dead black F15 wing overs and heads for the closest Autobot to him. Combat: F-15 Streak Eagle strikes Bell AH-1 Cobra with his Photon Pulse attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Bell AH-1 Cobra 's Accuracy. (Blinded) The Global Pose Tracker marks that Outbound has 'skipped' his action for this round. Giant Armored Bear is falling. "BJORN FELL CLAW TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The giant armored bear flails as he falls, spotting Outbound below him... "This will probably shatter my paws..." He sighs. "If it even works." He leans down, diving towards the Decepticon headfirst. Outbound is constantly just staring at his datapad playing Angrybots or whatever, so he probably doesn't even notice the giant falling bear that's about to super tackle him. Combat: Giant Armored Bear misses Outbound with his AIR BEAR ASSAULT attack! With his 'cargo' dropped and no long his problem, Whirl ascends higher into the sky to take on whatever airborne threats present themselves to him. Just as he catches the black, zombie-looking plane that is Windshear in his visuals, he's assaulted by a photon blast that rocks his entire body. Though it doesn't appear to do any external damage, the Wrecker finds his targetting systems all out of whack. "Ohhh yeah! This is what I'm talking about! You wanna dance, Deceptibutt? Let's dance!" The helicopter swings around, getting as good a lock-on as he can with his targetting all messed up and fires his own photon blast at the seeker. Combat: Bell AH-1 Cobra misses F-15 Streak Eagle with his Photon Beam attack! -1 Bandit nods in Outbound's direction. "Excellent comrade. This will be a glorious day....." KAPOW, Windshear attack goes off and it causes him to pause. He continues, "Do not worry about these simple humans....our goals have been made clear." he states in his Russian accent. "I accept....Windshear you take out the Autobot Whirl, Outbound begin the devastation and I will provide cover. Engage if need be, but our goals are remaining paramount." He motions towards Outbound to proceed and begins to power up his weapons. "Incoming at mark 5. Remember to be watching your firing solutions." Just then a Giant Bear comes crashing down. "Outmaneuver him comrade....I am having a little surprise for our uninvited guests." Combat: Bandit inspires Outbound with threatening and overbearing words! WHOMP! If you ever wanted to know what a giant robot bear sounds like when it slams into the ground, now you know! Outbound walks right past the small crater created by Chainclaw's meeting with Planet Earth, happening upon a much more dangerous target (at least it seems so at the moment) in the guise of a bulldozer. The infantrymech wastes little time dismantling the vehicle, his sharpened fingers tearing and snapping bits and pieces the size of washing machines from the vehicle until it is no more than a busted up parody of it's former design. <>, Outbound replies to Bandit's shout, and instead of letting it go to waste the infantrymech lifts the bulldozer into the air and wrenches it above his head before turning toward Chainclaw. He says nothing, his expression is lacking, but one can be sure it is a hundred percent satisfaction as he lobs the vehicle at the Bear Bot. F-15 Streak Eagle slides to the side and evades Whirls wild shot. "Yes, lets dance." he replies coldly and lights his aferburners. The F15 doesnt veer away though, but heads straight for the chopper. As he draws closer, the leading edges of his wings slide back and in a sound that is lost in the wind speed, long thin edged blades slide forward and lock into place. Its obvious what hes about to do and hes not interested in where he collides, just that he hits. Combat: Outbound sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: F-15 Streak Eagle sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: F-15 Streak Eagle misses Bell AH-1 Cobra with his Wind Shear attack! -2. Combat: Outbound strikes Giant Armored Bear with his flying dozer (Laser) attack! Giant Armored Bear makes a sad sort of face as Outbound casually sidesteps him. He picks himself up slowly, shaking off dust and daze to recallibrate his bearings. Get it? He's a bear. Amazing. Chainclaw looks up just in time to see a bulldozer hit him in the face. With his armor, it does little to phase him. And now that they're at eye level, this is a Decepticon he recognizes. "Ah, the supposed double agent! I supose you are here for our benefit, would be traitor?" He lumbers out of the crater, taking a casual, lazy swipe. Quartermaster enters from the Congo Basin to the northwest. Quartermaster has arrived. Combat: Giant Armored Bear misses Outbound with his Serrated Thermal Claws attack! Whirl's shot goes wide, completely missing his target. Ah, no matter! Whirl will make sure to be totally awesome to make up for that little blunder. For example, expertly dodging Windshear's crazy wing blades with some fancy footwork, or whatever you would call it when a helicopter dodges. "Nice try, zombie face!" Whirl cleverly retorts, spinning himself around again to get another lock-on on the F-15. He levels his side mounted cannon at the seeker and fires off a single grenade. Combat: Bell AH-1 Cobra sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Bell AH-1 Cobra strikes F-15 Streak Eagle with his Incendiary Shell attack! Quartermaster transforms into vehicular mode. Service Truck rolls in from the distance, moving as quickly as his frame will allow. Responding to a radio request for backup, he caught a quick shuttle here and took the rest of the way on foot, er, tires. He hears the sounds of battle, and spies the incendiary attacks lighting up the sky, so he knows he's headed in the right direction. "Well, good to see they're not wasting ammo..." he comments dryly to himself as Whirl's attack connects. "Back up's here!" he announces in a short-burst radio transmission. "Where do you need me?" he says, still speeding right along. With a leap canards and wings begin to fold out and rotate into place. Arms retract and legs change into powerful engines. Out of what seems a flurry of motion streaks a sleek and powerful jet fighter. Combat: Black S-37 XF sets his defense level to Neutral. Confident that his team understands the plan and is prepared to execute, the ebony seeker leaps into the air with a flurry of motion. His jet engines scream to life as the craft goes for the high ground. "Comrades I am picking up a signal at *shkkk* mark 20, continue your assaults. I will move to engage." The seeker performs a barrel roll and picks up speed. It seems to be flying towards the tactical center of the conflict. As his signature gets closer, his fuselage begins to crackle with energy, until its glowing brightly and explodes with an energy pulse towards the enemies on his scope. "Move in for the kill" he suggests. Combat: Black S-37 XF strikes Giant Armored Bear with his EMP Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Giant Armored Bear 's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Black S-37 XF strikes Bell AH-1 Cobra with his EMP Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Bell AH-1 Cobra 's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Black S-37 XF strikes Service Truck with his EMP Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Service Truck's Agility. (Crippled) F-15 Streak Eagle slices air in his attack. Yea so the chopper is more nimble then he remembered. Thats ok. What wasnt ok was when he came around and flew straight into an indendiary shell. That stung and stung more then he counted on. "Fair enough," he says to himself and brings up his targeting system and waits for tone. After a moment he fires. Combat: F-15 Streak Eagle sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: F-15 Streak Eagle strikes Bell AH-1 Cobra with his Thermal Laser attack! Outbound's optics flash wide as Chainclaw comments on his double-agent status. What is this guy a complete and utter moron? He wastes no time- this loudmouth must be quieted, and Outbound knows just the tool for the job. From the maglock upon his back the Mech of Many Secrets retrieves his plasma shotgun, and quickly points the weapon toward Whirl before being forced to leap backward to avoid the thermal claws! WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! That is NOT okay! To point out just how 'not okay' that really was Outbound pulls the trigger. <> the Decepticon tightbeams to the Bear Bot as the S-37X perrms it's attack run. Combat: Outbound strikes Giant Armored Bear with his Plasma Shotgun attack! Giant Armored Bear snorts. "Undercover?! The only cover we need you under is-" Bandit's blast hits the bear, staggering him backwards. His systems go a bit wonky, starting to reset and correct... He steps forward again. "The only cover we need you under is-" but then Outbound shoots him in the face. "CAN I FINISH A SENTENCE?!" THe bear roars, and tries to stand up on his hind legs, but the blast from Outbound has impaired several of his motor systems. He settles for shooting him with back lasers. Combat: Giant Armored Bear strikes Outbound with his Solid Sonic Energy Blaster attack! Whirl has the robot equivalent of ADD so it's kind of hard for him to focus on multiple things at once, such as the two other Decepticons causing havoc all around him. He had completely forgotten that Bandit was present until he unleashes his EMP, causing Whirl's systems to slow dramatically. As he struggles with this new development, he's struck dead on by Windshear's laser, burning a deep scorch mark into his baby blue chassis. "Arrrghhh yes! That feels SO good!" he chirps way too hapilly, wisps of smoke trailing behind him as he flies. He swoops in low over one of the many, crappy little office buildings in the area and transforms, landing upon it's roof on his two, hilarious looking ski feet. The roof sinks a little under his weight but it seems to hold for the most part. He cocks his arm, the one with the null-ray module where his hand would be, and fires off a burst of energy at the seeker, hopefully stunning him for a moment. Whirl transforms into a crazy robot. Wreck and Rule! Combat: Whirl strikes F-15 Streak Eagle with his Null-Ray Module attack! Combat: F-15 Streak Eagle has been temporarily incapacitated. F-15 Streak Eagle is pleased his shot nailed the Wrecker and banks around to take another crack at him when the wrecker transforms and lands on a builing. Ok we want to take this to the ground. Fine with the Zombie Seeker and he drops down to land. Although who can resist one more shot, right? He targets the skifooted bot and prepares to fire when the same ski footed bot slams him with a null ray. Everything just goes '..... Service Truck's already mediocre speed is rendered even more so. He groans, frustrated. "Off to a great start...feels like driving in quicksand." With great effort, he transforms, eventually taking his robot form. "Decepticon punk," he growls, checking his customized laser pistol for any irregularities. He tries to draw a bead on Bandit, but isn't satisfied with the shot. Slowed, he pushes his systems hard to move to a different position and squeezes the trigger, lobbing a shot at the Decepticon. Quartermaster transforms into robot mode. Combat: Quartermaster misses Black S-37 XF with his Laser attack! The Streak Eagle falls to the ground but its a very gracefull fall. See Eagles cant stay in a spin if you put them in one, they wont even spin out of control on their own.. its that huge wing mass. So the Seeker plows into the ground almost like he meant it, and lays there still and quiet, looking.. dead. Combat: Black S-37 XF sets his defense level to Protected. Black S-37 XF watches as the battle unfolds and zips down lown and then pops upwards violently to dodge the incoming fire. His afterburners kick in and he performs an aerial ballet jinking back and forth upwards into the sky. Cutting the engines suddenly, he loses forward moment, engages his rudders...then tail slides back towards the ground. His engines ignite again and he begins to line up his sites on Quartermaster. "Ach...another Autobot to play with today. I am afraid that you kossacks will rue the day that you decided to try and stop us. Our purpose is clear...and nothing will prevent us from achieving that goal. NOTHING!" he opens fire and strafes a line towards the Quartermaster's frame. Combat: Black S-37 XF strikes Quartermaster with his Railgun attack! Didn't the Bear Bot get it? Keeping him from finishing a sentence was the point! Success always has it's price however, and Chainclaw had come badge in hand ready to collect. Sonic Energy Blasters pummel the infantrymech in the chest and Outbound goes flying backward, his chassis slamming not into but through a powerloader sending it's loading arms and legs flying in all directions! By the time Outbound is on his feet the word 'feet' no loner applies, and out of the cloud of dust and dirt kicked up from the mech's impact speeds a hovertank in full force. Strafing hard to port toward another large loading mecha for cover the Hovertank sends a lance of concentrated energy toward the bear, the streaming beam slicing through a crane as it archs toward it's target! Combat: Outbound sets his defense level to Protected. Hiss, pop, whirr, grind, snap, click- HOVERTANK-23! Combat: HOVERTANK-23 strikes Giant Armored Bear with his turret mounted streaming laser (Laser) attack! Giant Armored Bear starts to lumber forward, growling as he's blasted by the tank. The pretender shell pulls apart, revealing...basically the same bear, but a ROBOT! The mechabear leaps from it's shell, claws out and read to kill! "I will pull your lasercore from your body, Decepticon!" And then he'll probably eat it, but he doesn't have time to yell that. They two aren't that far apart. Chainclaw folds into his robot bear mode. Combat: Robot War Bear strikes HOVERTANK-23 with his Jarring Swipe attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired HOVERTANK-23 's Agility. (Crippled) Yes! Direct hit! Rarely does Whirl use his Null-Ray (it just seems way to Decepticon-y for him) but when he does and he sees his hapless victim go motionless, it's just soooo satisfying. "Ha! Not so fast now, are ya jet butt?" Damn jets, think they're so damn sleek and fast. Stupid sexy jets... With Windshear temporarily incapacitated, Whirl takes this opportunity to lay a good ol' fashioned beatdown. He takes a running start and leaps off the roof, throwing himself towards the jet to land atop it's cockpit. Once he's got his feet down, he'll start pounding the hell out of the jet with what passes for his fists. Combat: Whirl strikes F-15 Streak Eagle with his JET JUDO (Smash) attack! The arc of Bandit's fire slices through Quartermaster, tearing through his chest and left shoulder, sending a shower of sparks flying. The attack chews through his armor, though it serves its function by absorbing most of the damage. He grunts, trying to stay focused even though this is really not going well for him. Knowing he can't stand up to a Decepticon jet, he tries to move closer to the local structures to lure Bandit into close-quarters combat...or at least find some cover to protect him from any incoming attacks. Combat: Quartermaster sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Quartermaster sets his defense level to Protected. The nose bends forward as the wings flip and rotate backwards. The engines spilt and extend, as arms, fists and feet are revealed. A head flips upward and locks into place with a purple shimmer of the optics. Bandit watches as the Autobot retreats into the local structures. He transforms into robot mode and flies downward. "Come on now Autobot....you cannot hide from me." His optics flash. "I am a professional and your actions prove cowardice. Come out and fight instead of being yellow like your slave ancestry.." With that he kicks some boxes out of the way and draws a bead on Quartermaster. "Ahha there you are...." he raises his left arm and fires a standard issue seeker disruptor in the Autobot's direction, almost teasing as he does. Combat: Bandit strikes Quartermaster with his Disruptor Blast (Disruptor) attack! F-15 Streak Eagle comes to via a weird handed? and weird footed wrecker pummeling him like theres no tomorrow. Angrilly the F15 snapes out of jet mode. "Get.off.me!" Windshear growls and fires point blank aiming for the Wreckers face. A dead black McDonnell Douglas F15A transforms into Windshear. Combat: Windshear sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Windshear strikes Whirl with his Thermal Laser attack! -4 Holy crapidoo, that bear just shed it's fur! Outbound does his best to avoid the incoming srike, but the hovertank (surprisingly) isn't quick enough, and the jarring swipe sends it spinning round and around like an inverted top until it's halted by the very loader that it was attempting to hide behind; it's mangled mass bending around the Hovertank and pinning him to boot! Only good thing to come out of this is one less human vehicle to demolish later... "Let it be known that I greatly dislike you..." Outbound mutters, his head spinning...or well, rather his, erm- turret? Figuratively speaking at first, but then literally as the turret turns suddenly to face the Bear Bot square on. Combat: HOVERTANK-23 sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: HOVERTANK-23 strikes Robot War Bear with his Plasma Turret attack! Robot War Bear is in the air again, but he can't blame Whirl. This time, it's the fault of a point blank cannon blast from Outbound. The bear hits the ground, busting through a massive dunptruck, near Whirl and Windshear. Growling, Chainclaw is forced to transform into his much dreaded robot mode to pull himself out of the wreckage. He glares up at Whirl. "Damn you, Wrecker! I can feel the rust infections taking on my energon lines through these cracks in my armor! I'm sure to die whether we win this battle or no! Now go assist Quartermaster, Wrecker!" A rare sight: The armored bear called Chainclaw transforms into his robot mode! Combat: Chainclaw takes extra time to steady himself. Pass "Hya hya! Take it all, you little beeotch!" Whirl hollers as he continues to pummel the F-15 like a redheaded step child. He's just very passionate abotu fisticuffs, okay? Unfortunately, his fun comes to an end when Windshear transforms and shoots him right in the face, sending the Wrecker stumbling backwards. "Aiiieeee! My beautiful face! You've ruined it forever!" He then starts giggling, melted pieces of what passes for his face sloughing right off. "Just kidding! It's actually an improvement I think! Here, let me fix yours too. Might as well repay the favor, right!?" He pulls his photon cannon out of subspace and slips it over his pincher hand before pointing it directly at the seeker's face. "Don't forget to smile!" ZAPPO! He cracks off a shot at Windshear's goateed mug. Combat: Whirl strikes Windshear with his Face Burns attack! -1 Triggerhappy enters from the Congo Basin to the northwest. Triggerhappy has arrived. Whirl says, "Damn bear butt, you really need to relax and try to have some fun with this." The brunt of the blast knocks Quartermaster back, but he quickly recovers and charges toward Bandit, attempting to close the distance between them. He doesn't let Bandit's taunts get to him, shrugging them off with an annoyed "You sure like to talk, don't you?" As he sprints forward, his fingers deftly make some adjustments to his pistol, changing his ammo type. Still moving forward, he slows his run to raise his pistol at the Decepticon, snapping off a shot of disruptor fire, streaking orange-red through the sky. Chainclaw says, "I do not have fun, Wrecker. You've dragged Quartermaster and I to a death that should ahve only been reserved for you and your own foolishness!" Combat: Quartermaster misses Bandit with his Disruptor attack! Whirl says, "Oooohhhh boy. Remind me to never take you out for a good time ever again." Windshear's beautiful. Hes dead beautiful and he knows it. So its matter of course to understand that 'not the face' is an unspoken battlecry for him. And someone just broke it. Oh its on now. The Zombie Seeker feels his facial plating contort and burn and his anger flares as hot as the temperature of his face right now. With a noncommital sound of anger the dead black Decepticon swings on the Wrecker. Combat: Windshear sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Windshear strikes Whirl with his In your Face Chump attack! -5 Bandit grins slightly as Quartermaster comes out of hiding. "Excellent kossack....that is the way." As the fire comes in, Bandit sidesteps and the blast hits the ground where he departed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....come on now. You are going to have to be doing better than that." His optics glimmer and hovers in the air. "So lets see now. You are here to defend these humans and their precious resources. That is quit noble." he goes on, "But from the looks of you...you are being more suited for manual labor." he seems to eye the energon tanks. "It is not your time to die Autobot.....that comes later." His optics fire... Combat: Bandit misses Quartermaster with his Optic Beams (Laser) attack! Alright, and that's how you get a giant mecha bear off of you! Now, if only Outbound could get himself off of the powerloader mecha. VROOM VROOM! The hoverjets roar as he tries to dislodge himself, rocking back and forth before finally the loader tumbles onto it's side and he's free! Free at last! Free at last! Thank GOD ALMIGHTY he's free at last! This is what Kunta Kinte must have felt like after his first escape.. Outbound begins to backpeddle, not quite sure whether or not the mecha-bear is still out for blood or not. If he could keep the fuzzy bastige at bay for just a little longer... <> Again, OB's on the defensive as he strafes to starboard this time and fires another blast from the center 'eye' of his turret to score a two-in-one demolish n' strike as he races behind a large fuel truck. Combat: HOVERTANK-23 sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: HOVERTANK-23 strikes Chainclaw with his lasers and fuel trucks and MechaBears- OH MY (Laser) attack! Triggerhappy has been enjoying his new space-flight capability lately, dipping up and down between low orbit and upper atmosphere. This is kind of a rare thing, for him to be doing something for fun OTHER than shooting something or someone. But, it doesn't last long, as his sensor arrays light up with the detection of weapons being discharged one time he happens to fly near Northen African skies. Can't expect someone like Triggerhappy to pass up an opportunity like this! No, sir! Such a target-rich environment! Whoopee! Chainclaw sighs in frustration, climbing down from the pile of wrecked trucks. He makes a face touching the ground on two legs, and immediately folds back into his robo bear mode, sealing himself inside his Pretender armor. Less germs. He stares at Quartermaster exchanging fire with Bandit, and for a brief moment, he does not see the Autobot: he sees Ryoryk, mighty bear and Clan brother, being ripped apart by a Seeker. Chainclaw blinks and shakes his head, trying to dust it off. He looks again, and sees the bear on the ground, dead stare looking back at him. "We're all going to die." And when the trucks around him explode in a storm of burning fuel from Outbound's blast, it's tough to argue with the guy. Panicking, Chainclaw opens fire wildly! "Not again....NOT AGAIN!" This probably isn't good. Combat: Chainclaw misses HOVERTANK-23 with his Full-Auto Area attack! Combat: Chainclaw strikes Windshear with his Full-Auto Area attack! Combat: Chainclaw misses Bandit with his Full-Auto Area attack! Combat: Chainclaw misses Whirl with his Full-Auto Area attack! Combat: Chainclaw misses Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter with his Full-Auto Area attack! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses Bandit with his YAY! SHOOTING! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses Windshear with his YAY! SHOOTING! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses HOVERTANK-23 with his YAY! SHOOTING! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes Chainclaw with his YAY! SHOOTING! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses Whirl with his YAY! SHOOTING! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter (Triggerhappy) used "Full-Auto": A Level 2 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses Quartermaster with his YAY! SHOOTING! (Full-Auto) Area attack! "I'd love to help, you know.." Whirl shouts to the bear turned robot. "But I'm kind of busy dealing with robot Marilyn Manson over here!" He turns back to Windshear just in time to get an arm blade to the face, leaving a deep slash in it's wake. "Aaarrrghh! Okay! That one hurt for real!" the Wrecker hisses, throwing a hand' up to his face to stem the torrent of energon gushing out of his nasty wound. The violet liquid seeps around his attempts to cover it, dribbling down his chest and dripping to the ground beneath him. Then suddenly, there's gun fire all around him! From both an enemy AND his supposed ally. "Argh! What the hell, bear butt!? We're on the same team you know!" Fortunately he's not hit by either but it's still kind of annoying. He quickly shifts into his helicopter mode and takes off into the air, ignoring Windshear for now to take on the newly arrived Triggerhappy. "Well, well, if it isn't my robobrother from another robomother! How you been, crazy guy?" He greets the Targetmaster the only way an Autobot can greet a Decepticon: with weapons! A incendiary shell fires from his cannon, flyign straight towards Triggerhappy! Whirl transforms into a helicopter. So cool! Combat: Bell AH-1 Cobra strikes Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter with his Incendiary Shell attack! Quartermaster finally feels like himself again, as Bandit's earlier EMP attack wears off, and he can feel his systems operating smoothly again. This comes just in time, as Bandit's optic blasts threaten to make the Autobot take even more damage. Fortunately, full control of his senses comes when all hell breaks loose. Twisting and ducking, Quartermaster evades Bandit's optic blast, then raises a hand to shield his optics from the exploding fuel trucks, but is still unable to find a moment's rest as Triggerhappy's attack commences. The Autobot looks up just in time to see a volley of artillery heading for him and his fellow Autobots, but it's too late for him to do anything. He doesn't even have enough time to curse, he only has enough time to act on instinct and try to shield himself. The ground is torn apart from multiple impacts, the terra firma is sent skyward, and the whole area where Quartermaster was standing is veiled in acrid smoke. Oh, the humanity, oh, he was too young to...wait, what? Quartermaster can hardly believe it himself as he checks his armor for signs of damage. Yep, somehow, he managed to completely avoid taking a hit. Talk about a Pulp Fiction-esque moment of transcendental luck. The moment passes though, as the carnage is far from over. Now, Quartermaster is distracted by his fellow Autobot losing his mind. "Hey, what's with HIM?" he asks Whirl, then directs his attention to Chainclaw. "Snap out of his, soldier!" Combat: Quartermaster sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Quartermaster takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Whirl says, "Oh, yeah, uhh.. Chainclaw has like, robot PTSD" Whirl says, "Something about bears? I don't really know the whole story but sometimes he goes into these little freakouts and I usually just try to stay away." Quartermaster says, "Terrific." Chainclaw says, "I can't save them" Chainclaw says, "Everything is burning" Whirl says, "Hrmm.. I don't know guys, I think this place is screwed." Whirl says, "I mean, we made a great effort and all but maybe we should just cut our losses and get out of here before Chainclaw goes Rambo on us." Combat: Bandit sets his defense level to Neutral. Bandit remains in a fighting stance as incoming fire comes from all directions. He ducks and rolls and then rips the wall off the side of a building and uses it as a makeshift shield that absorbs the blasts. He discards the now useless material to the side. "Watch your firing arcs Triggerhappy!" his deep Russian accented voice booms. Returning his attention to his prey, the seeker walks back and forth like Darth Maul waiting to skewer Qui Gon Jin. "So you are going to just stand there." he paces "Or are you winded?" He moves forward like opening a can of lightning and as he approaches he starts to grow a bit cloudy. To the trained optic it would seem as if something is being vented out of his chassis. He raises an arm and the shroud moves towards Quartermaster. "We will be taking what you are wasting..." Before the result of the attack is known he transmits, "Triggerhappy can you begin extraction of the Uranium?" Quartermaster says, "Ya think?" Combat: Bandit strikes Quartermaster with his Nanoswarm Shroud attack! Windshear watches Whirl run off to fight Triggerhappy suddenly. Well slag. Actually he decides enough and heads toward what they came there for in the first place. Yay, lookit all the burning! The landscape is all but enulfed in flames, and debris from the fuel tanker's explosion, and the resulting ripple of explosions caused by the Bear Bot and the Decepticon's latest arrival combined. If uranium wasn't extremely profitable business Transvaal would likely end up bankrupt after all of this... Hopefully they were well insured. With all of the devastation to the camp, the humans who are undoubtedly pissing themselves in the middle of the forest without transportation with the sounds of heavy combat and terrible explosions permeatin the air the Decepticons seemed to be doing pretty well- at least Outbound sure thinks so. <> Now, just to snag that precious uranium and finish running these Autobots off! Transforming into robot mode the infantrymech is quick to tap a single key upon his quickly unfolding datacomputer, and miles and miles above the battlefield Drone-23 chirps a response from the cockpit of Decepticon shuttle Triumph. While awaiting the transport, the lone groundpounder of the Decepticon troupe begins to backpeddle toward one of the trucks (still aflame) containing their 'weekend bonus' of glorious uranium. Dropping to a knee he lifts his left forearm and a magazine whines and clicks into place. Now, if only they could keep Triggerhappy from killing EVERYONE... Hiss, pop, whirr, grind, snap, click- OUTBOUND! Combat: Outbound strikes Chainclaw with his forearm ballistics (Pistol) attack! Combat: Windshear takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Hey, hey! Well what do we know? It's Whirl! Triggerhappy's favorite Autobot! Thus, he ignores Bandit's request for him to begin extracting the Uranium. Bandit isn't in charge of him, anyway, so he can't order this Targmaster around. "Whirl! It's been a while! I've been just dandy, and yourself?" And he sends a his own greeting toward the Wrecker in the form of high-energy photons--BUT, he's stopped shooting everyone, so you guys can thank Whirl later. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes Bell AH-1 Cobra with his Hey hey how are you? attack! Decepticon Shuttle enters from the Congo Basin to the northwest. Decepticon Shuttle has arrived. Chainclaw backs away from the approaching Outbound... "We're all burning. All of us...Burning..." He eyes shift around, and go wide when he realizes he's backed into a wall. The bear snorts and growls, and in a last ditch panic to escape, blitzes forward for Windshear, leaping to take him down because he's the closest thing to kill! "WE ARE ALL BURNING!" He roars. Because he is. The bear's pretender armor is on fire. Intense, right? The mechanical bear Chainclaw activates his Pretender armor, sealing himself in his armored brown bear form! Combat: Chainclaw uses up a charge on his Targetting HUD booster pack! Combat: Giant Armored Bear strikes Windshear with his Maul attack! Bell AH-1 Cobra takes the shots like a champ! His chassis is all scorched and blackened from all the laser fire he's endured in this battle and he's billowing thick clouds of smoke from his wounds but he's still airborne so he must be okay. At least for now. "I'm glad to hear that! And I've been well. Having some girl issues but you know how it is, right? Femmes be so crazy sometimes!" Only Whirl and Triggerhappy could have a civil conversation while blowing eachother up. "It's too bad you showed up so late, I would've loved to go toe-to-toe with you. Next time, yeah?" Pew pew pew! Whirl shoots some photon blasts at Triggerhappy as he converses with him. Combat: Bell AH-1 Cobra strikes Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter with his Photon Beam attack! -1 Quartermaster made the mistake of turning his attention from his adversary, and now he's paying for it. The nano-shroud wreaks havok on Quartermaster's systems, as he swats at the nigh invisible, yet persistent source of pain. Finally his systems stabalize and now he's starting to get aggravated. This situation keeps getting worse and worse, building like Quartermaster's frustration with his foe. He removes his portable rocket launcher from his weapon storage compartment and slings it over his shoulder, dropping to his knee. "Take this." With that one-liner, he targets Bandit through the viewfinder, and lets the rocket fly, sparking out of the launcher and zipping through the sky. Combat: Quartermaster sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Quartermaster misses Bandit with his Rocket attack! Combat: Bandit sets his defense level to Protected. Bandit continues to press his attack. "It is time for you to be yielding to your betters Autobot." His optics flicker he fires blasts to keep his opponent on his toes and moving in the direction he wants. As he does, he observes the opponents motions, seeing him reach for his Rocket Launcher. The seeker grins slighly optics narrowing...wait for it ....wait for it....the rockets flair...the bombs bursting in air....gave proof through the night...that Bandit was NOT there.....ohhhhhhh. The seeker circles around a set of buildings using their smoke to cover his motions and opens fire. "Nice try....it is good to see that you are at least trying." Combat: Bandit strikes Quartermaster with his Wrist Rockets (Pistol) attack! Windshear was minding his own business as much as possible since he has stepped out of the fight. He had a hand to his face, his precious face, mulling that over while he was on his way to start gathering titanium when.. "WE ARE ALL BURNING!!" Now, Windshear and fire... fire doesnt bother him, never has. His main weapon is in the spectrum of 'fire' so fire is his friend. But as the bear slobberknocks the hell out him and he crashes to the ground, he realizes not everyone appreciates fire like he does. Windshear looks up painfully at the hysterical bear all over him and aims his fist dead for the brutes noseplate. Combat: Windshear strikes Giant Armored Bear with his Punch attack! How rude! All of this time they'd been dancing and playing all nice nice, and then that MechaBear went and found himself a new partner. I mean sheesh, they all knew Windshear was a prettymech, but for cryin' out loud! Offended, Outbound is just...offended by this, but such is life it seems. The launching of a rocket and subsequent streaking of the deadly explosive through the skies above draws the ground pounder's attention from where he's huddled next to the uranium truck. His forearm lifts to track Quartermaster, while simultaneously a rectangular block extends from his right wrist only to transform quickly into a hand-held laser. PEW PEW PEW! At the same time shuttle Triumph breaks through the clouds and begins to descend toward the battlefield... Looks like even MORE reinforcements! Muahaha! Combat: Outbound strikes Quartermaster with his dual wield devastation party (Laser) attack! Whirl says, "Hrrrrnnnn... looks like they're bringing reinforcements." "Fem issues, eh?" Triggerhappy laughs. Yeah, there's a certain fem that he admires in that kind of way, too. It would appear she shares a sort of admiration for him, though too, unlike in Whirl's case. "Well, I hope you get it sorted out! As for an even fight, I guess another time will have to do--but for now I'll just be happy with slagging you!" Whirl says, "Chainclaw! Can you pull yourself together long enough to get the hell out of dodge?" Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes Bell AH-1 Cobra with his Another time! attack! Giant Armored Bear isn't there anymore. He's wild, he's feral. He's not thinking. He wants this to stop. He wants this to be gone. When Windshear punches him, he barely registers it. He has a giant helmet on, after all. The beast stares death at Windshear for a moment, and the Seeker is about to be torn in half... The bear spots an area with a little less fire and tears off in that direction with a snort. Flight over fight. Survival. Combat: Giant Armored Bear begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Bell AH-1 Cobra , Decepticon Shuttle , and Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter Whirl says, "..I'll take that as a yes." Quartermaster is staggered at Bandit's wrist rocket attack, the gesture shattering his already damaged armor, leaving his more delicate systems vulnerable for the following strike from the Decepticon shuttle. The volley sends him hurtling backwards, crashing into the ground, sliding a good ten feet and trashing anything that happens to be in his way. Smoking and sparking, he slowly sits up, hand on his head, trying to shake the repetative sound of his internal systems warning blaring in his cranium. "Uggh, Whirl," he opens up a radio channel, "Time to take a cue from that nutso ursus. I gotta g-kkccch--" he 'stutters' as he's gripped by a jolt that seizes his systems momentarily, "I gotta pull out of here...can't take anymore." He forces himself to his feet, making a mental note to get back at Bandit later...if he can...and transforms and starts to peel out as fast as he can. Quartermaster transforms into vehicular mode. Combat: Service Truck begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Bell AH-1 Cobra , Decepticon Shuttle , and Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter "Hahahaha! Yes! I would enjoy that very much!" Whirl is a bit of a masochist you see, though that is kind of obvious. More laser fire peppers his frame, further blackening his already scorched and scuffed armor. He'd really like to stay and beat up on Triggerhappy a little more but he's close to stasis lock and he doesn't really want to crash land into unconciousness with a bunch of Decepticons around. It doesn't usually end well for him. "Well, I'd love to hang around and talk some more but I think I've overstayed my welcome." It really sucks leaving the bad guys to steal the uranium and ruin the livelihoods of the humans who worked at the mine but he's not about to die over it. "Hey, we should go out for a drink or something sometime! I'm sure we'd have a great time." With that said, the helicopter spins around and takes off in the opposite direction as fast as he can, a thick cloud of smoke trailing behind him. Combat: Bell AH-1 Cobra begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Decepticon Shuttle and Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter Windshear stumbles to his feet as the bear runs off. Hes scorched, dented, shredded, leaking and generally just annoyed. All the fine work the repair drones did to him this past week completely gone. Its no wonder he can handle pain so well, he feels it enough hes numb to it for the most part now. He makes his way toward one fo the mining buildings and leans agains an outer wall. "Yea..." he says, "I'll stand .. guard.. you guys.. get whatever.. it is we are here for..." Bandit watches as the Autobots retreat. "Excellent." he looks towards his group "Damage report....how are you holding up comrades?" he motions with his hands. "It seems we have hit the mother load. Grab as much plunder as you can find. Lord Galvatron will be pleased to hear of our success." he grins. "I told you this wouldn't end in any other way." The ebony seeker rips the roof off a nearby building, scanning the contents and then scooping up what he can of the mined goodness....URANIUM! Windshear frowns. He thought it was titanium.. it was something anium at any rate. HE shrugs a bit. "Im toast, Bandit. Request permission to return to the shuttle." Outbound rises to his feet as the Autobots take the high road and bug out of the area. He watches them until they've completely deserted the area as far as the optic can see, and only then do his weapons lower. <> comes the infantrymech's response, and he turns just in time to see Triumph touch down and the boarding hatch open ready to take on the day's glorious plunder...